SEVENTY  FIVE    YEARS 
OF  BOOK  PUBLISHING 

1838  1913 


II 


SEVENTY-FIVE  YEARS 
OF  BOOK  PUBLISHING 
1838  1913 


SEVENTY-FIVE    YEARS 
OF    BOOK    PUBLISHING 

1838  1913 


m 


PRINTED   FOR   PRIVATE   DISTRIBUTION   BY 

THE     A.     S.     BARNES     COMPANY 

MCMXIII 


WITH    THE    COMPLIMENTS    OF 

JOHN     BARNES     PRATT 


CONTENTS 

I.  THE  PIONEER  PERIOD 1838-1863 

II.  DEVELOPMENT  AND  ACCOMPLISHMENT  .    .    .  1863-1890 

III.  A  NEW  DEPARTURE 1890-1906 

IV.  THE  RETURN  TO  EDUCATIONAL  ACTIVITIES  .  1906-1913 


266653 


FOREWORD 

As  a  modest  attempt  to  celebrate  the  seventy- 
fifth  anniversary  of  the  founding  of  the  house  of 
A.  S.  Barnes  &  Company  we  offer  this  little  history 
to  our  friends.  It  is  hoped  that  this  backward 
glance  at  seventy-five  years  of  educational  endeavor 
in  the  publishing  field  will  awaken  pleasant  memo- 
ries in  the  minds  and  hearts  of  the  many  men  and 
women  who  have  helped  by  word  and  deed  in  the 
establishing  and  furthering  of  the  work  of  the 
house. 

Grateful  acknowledgment  is  made  to  Mr.  Rich- 
ard S.  Barnes  for  his  generous  assistance  in  making 
possible  the  preparation  of  this  little  volume. 

J.  B.  P. 

March  1,  1913. 


AI.FKKD   SMITH    BARNES 


ELEMENTS 


GEOMETRY  AND  TRIGONOMETRY 


TRANSLATED  i-  ROM   THE  FRENfH   ( 

A.  M.  LEGENDRE, 


BY    DAVID    BREWSTER,   I.L.   D. 


REVJSEU  ANl>  ADAPTED  TO  THE  COCTISE  OF  MATHEMATICA 
IN  THE  FNITED  STATES, 


L 


PUBLISHED   BY 

A.  S.  BARNES  &  Co,  HARTFORD— WILEY  &  PUTNAM ;    COL 
KEKSE  &  Co,  NEW-YORK.—  THOMAS,  OOAVPERTHWAIT  &  < 
PHILADELPHIA  —CUSHINO  &  SONS,  BAI.TIMORE.— 
TUI'MAN  &  SMITH,  CINCINNATI. 


ft 

fc 


TITLE  PAGE  OF  THE  ORIGINAL  EDITION  OF  DAVIES'  LEGENDUE 
HAIITFOKD,   1839 


THE  PIONEER  PERIOD:  1838-1863 

Prior  to  the  year  1838  the  publishing  center  in 
the  United  States  was  at  Hartford,  Connecticut. 
At  that  time  there  were  but  three  or  four  publish- 
ing firms  that  are  now  in  existence — Messrs.  Har- 
per &  Brothers,  the  Appletons,  William  Wood  & 
Company,  among  them. 

It  was  in  that  year  (1838)  that  Mr.  A.  S. 
Barnes,  then  a  young  man  of  twenty-one,  founded 
the  house  which  bears  his  name.  Previous  to  that 
he  had  been  employed  in  the  book  store  of  D.  F. 
Robinson  &  Co.  in  Hartford,  in  which  city  he  began 
the  business  of  book  publishing  in  a  store  12  x  20 
feet.  Mr.  Barnes'  own  narrative  of  the  beginning 
of  his  business  career  in  Robinson's  Book  Store, 
where  his  duties  were  those  of  the  youngest  clerk 
and  his  salary  the  munificent  sum  of  $30  per  year 
and  his  board,  is  interesting: 

"I  would  open  and  sweep  out  the  store  before  breakfast 
and  remain  until  the  next  older  came  to  relieve  me.  My 
next  duty  would  be  to  go  to  the  Post  Office  and  get  the 
mail,  and  then  get  my  breakfast — sometimes  cold  and 

9 


id1''  •  SEVE-NTY-FiV-E  - TEASES  OF  BOOK  PUBLISHING 

sometimes  hot — and  after  family  prayers,  back  again  to 
the  store,  lay  out  orders,  pack  books,  mark  the  packages 
and  send  them  to  the  stage  offices ;  generally  I  carried 
the  packages,  either  on  my  back  or  in  a  wheelbarrow. 
We  had  no  porters;  the  boys  did  that  kind  of  work. 
There  were  no  railroads  in  those  days,  but  steamboats  to 
New  York  and  Springfield  were  the  water  travel  from 
Hartford,  and  stage  coaches  by  land.  I  remember  the 
first  thing  I  did  in  this  bookstore  was  to  unravel  twine 
which  came  in  packages,  and  wind  it  into  balls  for  future 
use.  The  rule  was  to  be  busy.  In  writing,  I  copied  letters 
and  invoices  into  a  copy  or  letter  book,  (the  copying 
press  was  not  then  known.)  Steel  pens  had  not  been 
introduced,  and  an  immense  amount  of  time  was  daily 
devoted  to  making  and  mending  quill  pens." 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  a  letter  written  by 
Alfred  S.  Barnes  while  in  the  employ  of  Robinson 
&  Pratt  of  Hartford.  The  date  of  the  letter  indi- 
cates that  he  was  only  seventeen  years  of  age. 
There  are  only  one  or  two  changes  and  omissions 
which  were  unimportant. 

"NEW  YORK,  Apr.  81,  1834. 
"Ma.  PRATT. 

Dear  Sir: — The  Trade  Sale  closed  on  Saturday  evening 
last  for  which  reason  I  cannot  be  able  to  commence 
packing  Mr.  Ensign's  books  until  Wednesday. 

"He  was  disappointed  in  finding  books  to  go  so  high; 
purchased  but  a  little  over  $900.  He  wishes  me  to  say 
to  you  that  he  has  concluded  not  to  take  any  of  the 
Cottage  Bibles  which  are  at  Conner  &  Cooks,  they  being 


THE  PIONEER  PERIOD  n 

bound  so  very  poorly.  Mr.  Sumner  feels  quite  huffy  be- 
cause Messrs.  Connor  &  Company  are  supplying  the  trade 
at  $400.  He  is  flying  around  to-day  pushing  Brinsmade 
Geography.  He  thinks  he  has  made  two  or  three  'Glori- 
ous Bargains.' 

"Mr.  Ensign  starts  to-morrow  for  Cincinnati.  I  prob- 
ably can  finish  all  that  is  to  be  done  by  Friday  at  the 
latest,  at  which  time  I  shall  be  ready  to  leave. 

"I  am  indebted  to  Friend  Prescott  for  his  attention 
to  me  in  giving  me  (by  way  of  letter)  an  introduction  to 
Mr.  Demarest.  He  appears  to  be  a  very  fine  fellow. 

"Messrs.  Harper  wish  you  to  send  them  a  few  hundred 
more  Olney  immediately. 

"Mr.  Ensign  says  he  has  not  money  to  spare  Mr. 
Robinson.  He  has  made  a  contract  with  the  Harpers  to 
send  him  a  stipulated  number  of  each  of  their  new  works 

as  they  appear. 

***** 

"Yours  sincerely, 

(signed)  "ALFRED  S.  BARNES." 

The  letter  was  folded  in  the  usual  way  at  that 
time  and  the  address  written  on  the  back  of  the 
sheet,  addressed  as  follows: 

"Mr.  Henry  Z.  Pratt, 

c/o  Messrs.  Robinson  &  Pratt,  Booksellers, 
Hartford,  Conn." 

Early  in  his  career  as  a  publisher  he  formed  the 
acquaintance  of  Charles  Davies,  then  a  professor  in 
Trinity  College,  Hartford,  who  was  engaged  in  the 


12        SEVENTY-FIVE  YEARS  OF  BOOK  PUBLISHING 

preparation  of  a  series  of  mathematical  works  for 
use  in  schools,  and  the  young  publisher's  determi- 
nation to  produce  the  best  text-books  led  to  the 
formation  of  a  partnership  with  Professor  Davies 
for  the  publication  of  these  books  then  under  way. 
Of  this  period  Mrs.  Martha  J.  Lamb,  in  the 
Magazine  of  American  History  for  May,  1888, 
writes  as  follows: 

"A  little  office  twelve  by  twenty  feet  in  size  was  secured 
in  Hartford,  where,  without  cash  capital,  the  business 
was  opened.  Book  canvassers,  like  railroads,  had  not  yet 
appeared  to  disturb  the  even  tenor  of  American  life,  and 
as  the  first  and  most  important  feature  of  the  venture 
was  to  create  a  market,  young  Barnes  started  out  in 
person  to  introduce  Prof.  Davies'  mathematical  text-books 
into  the  schools.  Mrs.  Emma  Willard  then  resided  in 
Hartford,  and  her  histories  were  included  for  variety  in 
the  earliest  publications  of  the  new  firm,  and  were  can- 
vassed for  at  the  same  time.  For  two  years  Alfred  S. 
Barnes  traveled  from  town  to  town  and  village  to  village, 
visiting  all  the  schools  and  academies  within  a  wide  range 
of  surrounding  territory.  He  journeyed  by  country 
stages,  on  horseback,  and  in  private  conveyances,  as 
chances  offered,  and  he  explained  in  the  most  courteous 
and  convincing  manner  the  superior  merits  of  the  new 
method  of  teaching  and  learning  mathematics  over  the 
old.  He  was  a  mere  stripling,  but  graceful,  refined,  un- 
pretentious, and  well-informed  on  every  phase  of  mathe- 
matical science,  and  ready  at  all  times  to  converse  on 
general  topics  or  play  ball  with  the  sons  of  the  taciturn 
masters,  as  the  case  might  be.  He  managed  the  enter- 


ELEMENTS 


ALGEBRA: 


INCLUDING    STURM.  S'    THEORE 


TRANSLATED     FROM     THK    FRENCH    OF 

M.   BOURDON. 


ADAPTED    TO    THE    COURSE    OF    MATHEMATICAL    INSTRUCTION    IN    THI 
UNITED    STATES, 

BY  CHARLES  DA  VIES,  LL.D. 


PHILADELPHIA: 
PUBLISHED   BY  A.  S.  BARNES  &  CO. 

NEW    YORK: 
PRATT,  WOODFORD,   &  CO. 

1844. 


TITLE   PAGE  OF  DAVIES'   BOURDON,  PHILADELPHIA,   1844 


PLYMOUTH  COLLECTION 


HYMNS  AND   TUNES; 


USE  OF   CHKISTIAN    CONGREGATIONS. 


NEW    YORK: 
A.    S.    BAKNES    &    COMPANY, 

si  JOHN  STREET. 
1858. 


TITLE  PAGE  OF  THE  FIRST  HYMN  BOOK  PUBLISHED  BY  A.  S.  BARNES 
AND  COMPANY,  NEW  YORK,  1858 


THE  PIONEER  PERIOD  13 

prise  so  ingeniously  that  he  had  no  disappointments  nor 
ill  luck  to  chronicle.  The  productions  of  Professor  Davies 
were  found  to  be  all  that  he  had  represented;  they  were 
adopted  by  one  institution  of  learning  after  another,  soon 
becoming  much  talked  about,  then  famous  wherever  the 
English  language  was  spoken." 

The  sagacious  foresight  and  ability  to  "pick  a 
winner"  displayed  by  the  young  publisher  is  shown 
by  the  fact  that  for  more  than  fifty  years  Davies' 
mathematical  works  from  Primary  Arithmetic  to 
a  Mathematical  Dictionary  held  a  foremost  place 
in  the  schools  of  this  country  and  at  the  present 
time  still  have  a  satisfactory  sale,  an  edition  of  the 
Dictionary  having  been  printed  in  1910.  It  is  in- 
teresting to  note  parenthetically  that  the  Mathe- 
matical Dictionary  is  still  in  demand,  in  Japan 
particularly. 

In  the  year  1840  Mr.  Barnes  removed  to  Phila- 
delphia where  he  added  a  wholesale  department  of 
stationery  and  books  of  other  publishers.  But  the 
rapidly  growing  business  demanded  a  more  lively 
and  energetic  environment  and  in  1845  the  house 
was  moved  to  51  John  Street,  New  York,  nearly 
opposite  the  John  Street  M.  E.  Church.  It  was 
here  that  a  printing  and  binding  establishment  was 
organized  and  the  company  began  the  manufacture 
of  its  publications. 


14        SEVENTY-FIVE  YEARS  OF  BOOK  PUBLISHING 

Special  mention  at  this  time  should  be  made  of 
the  publication  of  the  famous  Plymouth  Collection, 
a  hymn  and  tune  book  edited  by  Henry  Ward 
Beecher.  An  interesting  account  of  the  inception 
and  issue  of  this  work  may  be  found  in  the 
Plymouth  Hymnal  edited  by  Dr.  Lyman  Abbott, 
published  in  later  years  by  the  company.  The 
Plymouth  Collection  was  the  first  of  a  long  list  of 
successful  hymn  and  tune  books  which  the  company 
has  published,  and  enough  importance  is  attached 
to  this  department  to  warrant  their  chronological 
record  (see  page  32) . 

In  1865  larger  quarters  were  found  necessary 
and  the  company  moved  its  offices  and  various  de- 
partments a  little  way  to  the  corner  of  John  and 
William  Streets,  where  the  business  was  conducted 
until  the  year  1890. 

In  the  year  1855  the  firm  published  its  first  geo- 
graphy. It  was  a  tiny  book,  very  different  from 
the  geographies  published  in  later  years,  yet  con- 
taining the  essential  facts  known  at  that  time.  It 
was  called  "First  Lessons  in  Geography"  and  the 
author  was  James  Monteith,  destined  to  be  known 
throughout  the  country  as  author  of  the  famous 
series  of  geographies  that  bear  his  name.  "Parker 
and  Watson's  Readers"  were  published  in  1857  and 
even  as  late  as  1911  the  writer  was  told  by  teachers 


THE  PIONEER  PERIOD  15 

that  no  better  book  of  the  kind  was  ever  published 
than  the  old  "Parker  and  Watson's  National  Fifth 
Reader." 

What  we  have  termed  the  Pioneer  Period  comes 
to  a  close  in  1863.  It  was  by  no  means  an  easy 
path.  The  young  publisher  had  many  difficulties 
to  face  and  overcome,  but  his  early  training  in  what 
would  be  termed  in  these  days  a  "puritanical 
household"  stood  him  in  good  stead,  and  his  clear 
vision,  his  unbounded  energy  and  above  all  his  de- 
termination to  publish  only  the  best  books,  won  for 
him  and  his  company  a  high  place  in  the  esteem  of 
the  educators  of  that  day,  and  prepared  the  way 
for  larger  usefulness  in  his  chosen  career. 


DEVELOPMENT  AND 
ACCOMPLISHMENT:   1863-1890 

Until  a  short  time  prior  to  his  death  in  1888 
A.  S.  Barnes  was  the  head  and  soul  of  the  business. 
He  became  conversant  with  existing  defects  in  the 
school  books  of  the  early  days,  he  made  educational 
text-books  a  practical  study,  and  his  plans  for  the 
future  were  based  on  the  needs  of  the  approaching 
advance  in  national  education.  Soon  after  establish- 
ing his  business  in  New  York  he  originated  and 
carried  out  a  scheme  of  publishing  a  full  and  com- 
plete series  of  text-books,  embracing  every  depart- 
ment in  elementary  and  advanced  education,  and 
styled  it  "The  National  Series  of  Standard  School 
Books."  So  popular  did  this  series  become  that 
forty  years  later  the  title  "National"  was 
applied  to  the  more  modern  text-books  published 
by  the  company.  Every  manuscript  submitted 
was  given  a  critical  personal  examination  by  the 
head  of  the  house.  His  industry  was  untiring  and 
he  justly  prided  himself  on  the  fact  that  no  book 
ever  bore  his  imprint  that  was  not  pre-eminently  a 

16 


DEVELOPMENT  AND  ACCOMPLISHMENT  17 

"good  book."  In  this  lay  the  secret  of  his  success. 
Many  of  the  school  books  prepared  and  issued 
under  such  care  and  discrimination  reached  sales 
into  the  millions  of  copies. 

In  the  year  1867  an  agent  of  the  company  met 
Joel  Dorman  Steele,  at  that  time  Principal  of 
Elmira  Free  Academy,  who  confided  to  him  plans 
for  the  publication  of  a  Chemistry.  The  manu- 
script was  sent  to  the  firm  for  consideration  and 
was  accepted  with  a  characteristic  letter  from  the 
head  of  the  house : 

"We  have,"  he  wrote,  "examined  your  Chemistry  and 
are  inclined  to  think  it  supersedes  in  interesting  reading 
matter  any  now  in  existence  on  the  same  subject.  It 
meets  a  want  in  common-school  education  which  has  here- 
tofore been  but  poorly  supplied.  Its  language  is  simple, 
its  illustrations  well-chosen,  its  extent  sufficient.  By  a 
pleasant  statement  of  dry  but  important  facts  you  have 
placed  within  the  comprehension  of  a  mere  child  what 
otherwise  he  could  not  touch.  We  approve  the  work  most 
heartily." 

This  was  the  first  of  the  famous  "Fourteen 
Weeks  Series"  in  the  Sciences  and  leaped  at  once 
into  favor.  So  successful  were  the  texts  on  the 
Sciences  that  Dr.  Steele  was  persuaded  to  under- 
take the  preparation  of  a  History  of  the  United 
States,  and  in  1871  "Barnes'  Brief  History  of  the 
United  States"  was  published.  At  Dr.  Steele's 


18        SEVENTY-FIVE  YEARS  OF  BOOK  PUBLISHING 

request  his  name  was  not  given  as  author,  but  in 
later  years  the  author's  name  was  inserted  on  the 
title  page.  To  chronicle  here  the  almost  unbe- 
lievable number  of  copies  of  this  History  that  have 
been  sold  would  tax  credulity. 

In  1865  "Songs  for  the  Sanctuary,"  edited  by 
Rev.  Charles  S.  Robinson,  D.D.,  was  published 
and  in  a  few  years  was  in  general  use  in  Presby- 
terian and  Congregational  Churches. 

Beginning  with  1869,  the  first  of  the  famous 
Watson's  Readers  was  published.  A  large  part  of 
the  text-books  issued  by  the  firm  became  household 
words  in  all  parts  of  the  country.  Many  prominent 
educators  of  the  present  day  will  recall  Barnes* 
Brief  History,  Davies'  Arithmetics,  Monteithfs 
Geographies  and  Watson's  Readers,  when,  as  boy- 
hood companions,  the  books  were  lugged  to  and 
from  school. 

Among  the  authors  not  previously  mentioned, 
who  were  represented  in  the  list  of  books  published 
by  the  company,  were  Dr.  William  H.  Maxwell, 
the  present  Superintendent  of  Schools  in  New 
York  City;  Mrs.  Martha  J.  Lamb,  Benson  J. 
Lossing,  Edward  Everett  Hale,  Henry  B.  Car- 
rington,  Lyman  Abbott,  William  H.  Goodyear, 
David  P.  Page,  Mrs.  Mary  H.  Hunt,  Joseph  H. 
Ficklin  and  Stephen  H.  Clark. 


DEVELOPMENT  AND  ACCOMPLISHMENT  19 

In  1888,  the  firm  consisted  of  seven  members, 
with  the  founder  at  its  head.  General  Alfred  C. 
Barnes,  the  eldest  son,  was  admitted  to  the  firm  in 
1866,  and  was  now  considered  chairman  of  the 
deliberations  of  the  company.  Henry  B.  Barnes, 
later  the  first  president  of  the  present  company, 
directed  the  financial  affairs;  Edwin  M.  Barnes, 
the  third  son,  had  charge  of  the  immense  printing 
and  binding  establishment  newly  erected  in  Brook- 
lyn; Richard  S.  Barnes  managed  the  wholesale 
book  and  stationary  department,  while  the  youngest 
son,  William  D.  Barnes,  had  charge  of  the  general 
correspondence  and  office  detail.  Charles  J.  Barnes, 
a  nephew,  was  general  manager  of  the  Chicago 
branch.  Although  not  a  member  of  the  firm, 
Thomas  F.  Donnelly,  the  confidential  clerk,  was 
an  important  factor  in  the  development  and  suc- 
cess of  the  business. 

As  an  illustration  of  the  qualities  in  which  are 
laid  the  foundation  of  success  in  business,  the  fol- 
lowing letter,  written  in  his  own  hand  by  Mr.  A.  S. 
Barnes,  to  a  young  lad  who  applied  to  him  for  a 
position,  is  of  interest: 

"My  son  has  the  charge  of  the  factory  and  I  have 
asked  him  to  take  you  and  give  you  employment.  You 
will  be  able  to  show  what  your  capabilities  'are  during  my 
absence.  Your  success  as  a  clerk  or  merchant  will  depend 


20        SEVENTY-FIVE  YEARS  OF  BOOK  PUBLISHING 

upon  yourself.  You  must  be  ready  to  take  hold  and  do 
what  your  hands  find  to  do,  and  after  you  become  familiar 
with  your  duties  you  must  act  without  being  told.  Keep 
your  mind  on  whatever  you  have  to  do  and  always  try  to 
do  it  well.  Avoid  mistakes. 

"As  your  wages  must  be  small,  you  will  get  your  meals 
and  lodging  at  my  house,  and  take  your  lunch  for  noon 
with  you  from  the  house.  You  must  be  on  hand  at  eight 
o'clock.  Your  evenings  should  be  spent  profitably  either 
reading  or  studying  in  your  room,  or  attending  religious 
meetings  or  lectures.  I  would  recommend  that  you  join 
the  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  where  you  will  be 
thrown  into  contact  with  the  right  kind  of  young  men. 
On  the  Sabbath  attend  the  Clinton  Avenue  Church,  sit 
in  my  pew  and  join  the  Bible  Class. 

"Set  your  standard  high  and  work  up  to  it.  This  is 
the  critical  period  of  your  life — as  you  start  now,  so  you 
will  be  likely  to  go." 

This  letter  now  hangs  in  the  private  office  of  the 
company  underneath  the  portrait  of  its  author. 
Six  years  from  the  date  of  this  letter,  on  February 
17,  1888,  the  eminent  founder  of  the  house  passed 
away.  A  brief  extract  from  The  New  York  Inde- 
pendent follows: 

"His  name  was  probably  as  widely  known  through- 
out the  United  States  as  that  of  any  other  man. 
Mr.  Barnes  was,  in  the  fullest  meaning  of  the  term,  a 
self-made  man.  He  began  his  career  as  publisher  with  the 
resolution  that  he  would  publish  good  books  only.  He 
entered  upon  this  resolution,  as  he  conducted  every  busi- 


ational  Series  of  Standard  School  Books, 


PUBLISHED  BY 

NES  &  BURR,  51,  53  &  55  JOHN  STREET,  NEW  YORK. 


FOB  THE  UiE  OF  THE  XBASE*    s 


FIRST   PAGE  OF  PRICE   LIST   ISSUED  BY  BARKES  AXD  BURR 
NEW  YORK,  1865 


ALFRED   CUTLER   BARNES 


DEVELOPMENT  AND  ACCOMPLISHMENT  21 

ness  enterprise  of  his  long  life,  from  principle,  not  for 
revenue.  Mr.  Barnes  was  a  long-sighted,  clear-headed, 
conservative  and  at  the  same  time  energetic  and  pushing 
business  man;  in  fact,  he  possessed  almost  all  the  attri- 
butes to  make  a  successful  business  man.  He  was  a  man 
of  the  highest  reputation;  his  word  was  as  good  as  his 
bond." 


A  NEW  DEPARTURE:  1890-1906 

In  the  year  1890  the  American  Book  Company 
was  organized  and  took  over  the  educational  books 
and  text-books  published  by  the  Harpers,  the 
Appletons,  Ivison,  Blakeman  &  Co.,  Van  Antwerp, 
Bragg  &  Co.,  and  a  large  portion  of  those  published 
by  A.  S.  Barnes  &  Co.  The  identity  of  two  of  these 
firms  was  merged  with  the  new  company,  the  other 
three  maintaining  their  general  line  of  publications. 

The  honored  name  of  A.  S.  Barnes  &  Company 
was  too  precious  to  be  lost  in  the  swiftly  changing 
processes  which  were  permeating  the  business  world ; 
accordingly,  after  the  organization  of  the  new  com- 
pany had  been  effected,  the  firm  moved  its  quarters 
to  751  Broadway,  opposite  Astor  Place,  under  the 
management  of  Richard  S.  Barnes,  where  was  ex- 
tended its  list  of  miscellaneous  publications.  A 
few  years  later  a  store  at  56  East  Tenth  Street 
was  opened,  but  following  northward  the  trend  of 
the  publishing  business  the  company  located  its 
offices  at  156  Fifth  Avenue,  where  was  begun  the 
publication  of  an  entirely  new  and  different  line  of 


A  NEW  DEPARTURE  23 

books.  At  this  time  Mr.  Henry  B.  Barnes,  the 
second  son  of  the  founder,  was  sole  owner,  and  in 
1903  his  son,  Mr.  Courtlandt  Dixon  Barnes,  be- 
came junior  partner. 

One  of  the  early  successes  in  the  line  of  fiction 
was  "Cap'n  Eri"  (1904) ,  the  first  of  the  many  Cape 
Cod  stories  by  Joseph  C.  Lincoln,  whose  name  is 
now  known  by  hundreds  of  thousands  of  readers. 
This  was  followed  by  "Partners  of  the  Tide" 
(1905),  "Mr.  Pratt"  (1906),  and  "The  Old  Home 
House"  (1907).  Of  these  "Mr.  Pratt"  has  en- 
joyed the  greatest  popularity,  although  critical 
readers  claim  that  "Cap'n"  was  the  best  work  of 
Mr.  Lincoln's  early  productions. 

Another  early  success  was  "The  Boss,"  by  Alfred 
Henry  Lewis,  which  attracted  wide  attention  not 
only  in  this  country  but  in  Australia  where 
"bossism"  is  an  unknown  quantity.  "The  Presi- 
dent," "Sunset  Trail"  and  "Confessions  of  a  De- 
tective" followed.  Among  other  fiction  writers 
whose  names  were  added  to  the  growing  list  are: 
S.  R.  Crockett,  Holman  F.  Day,  George  Cary 
Eggleston,  Charles  Battell  Loomis,  Samuel  Mer- 
win,  Gouverneur  Morris,  Henry  C.  Rowland  and 
Annie  Eliot  Trumbull. 


24        SEVENTY-FIVE  YEARS  OF  BOOK  PUBLISHING 

In  1904  Dr.  Robert  Kennedy  Duncan  prepared 
a  manuscript  entitled  "The  New  Knowledge — A 
Simple  Exposition  of  the  New  Physics  and  the 
New  Chemistry  in  their  Relation  to  the  New 
Theory  of  Matter."  The  importance  of  this  manu- 
script was  quickly  seen  by  the  editorial  advisor  of 
the  firm,  Mr.  Ripley  Hitchcock,  whose  keen  in- 
sight into  possibilities  of  manuscripts  rarely  led 
him  astray  in  judging  of  the  merits  of  proposed 
publications.  The  wisdom  of  his  opinion  on  this 
book  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  upwards  of  20,000 
copies  have  been  sold  in  this  country  and  in  Eng- 
land. It  was  first  published  in  1905. 

Juveniles  played  no  small  part  in  the  list  of  the 
company,  some  dozen  or  more  by  favorite  authors 
being  published  during  this  period.  An  important 
undertaking  was  begun  by  reprinting  original 
documents  relating  to  the  explorations  of  our 
country,  under  the  editorship  of  John  Bach  Mac- 
Master.  These  were  issued  under  the  title  of  "The 
Trail  Makers,"  and  were  completed  in  seventeen 
volumes.  Another  series  of  six  volumes  was  pro- 
jected and  published,  with  Margaret  E.  Sangster 
as  editor-in-chief,  entitled  "The  Woman's  Home 
Library." 

In  1906  the  educational  books  and  periodicals, 
formerly  published  by  E.  L.  Kellogg  &  Co.,  were 


RICHARD  STORKS  BARXES 


HENRY  BURR  BARNES 


transferred  to  this  house.  The  addition  of  this 
large  stock  and  the  large  number  of  employees 
taken  over  rendered  a  location  providing  much 
larger  quarters  a  necessity,  and  the  company  re- 
moved to  11-15  East  Twenty-fourth  Street,  di- 
rectly opposite  the  Metropolitan  Tower.  The 
acquisition  of  this  educational  force  gave  a  stimulus 
to  educational  activity,  and  opened  the  way  for  the 
return  to  the  field  of  publishing  wherein  this  house 
had  for  so  many  years  held  an  honorable  position. 
While  the  field  of  general  publishing,  especially 
that  of  fiction,  appealed  strongly  to  the  sentiments 
of  the  firm,  it  was  felt  that  educational  text-books 
held  more  of  promise  and  usefulness,  and  it  was 
determined  to  henceforth  confine  the  new  publica- 
tions largely  to  this  department.  The  name  of 
the  house  had  for  so  many  years  been  associated 
with  the  schools  of  this  country  that  the  wisdom  of 
this  step  was  shown  by  the  favorable  reception  ac- 
corded the  company  on  its  re-entry  into  the  field. 


THE  RETURN  TO  EDUCATIONAL 
ACTIVITIES:  1906-1913 

Some  time  prior  to  the  year  1908  was  begun  a 
movement  for  the  betterment  of  the  physical  de- 
velopment of  the  children  in  the  public  schools 
through  the  means  of  playgrounds.  This  move- 
ment spread  all  over  the  country  until  playgrounds 
became  a  necessary  adjunct  to  the  public  school 
system.  In  nearly  every  city  and  town  plans 
were  formed  and  executed  to  give  the  children 
more  room  in  which  to  play.  A  demand  was  be- 
ginning to  be  felt  for  material  which  would  intelli- 
gently direct  the  element  of  play.  Folk  dancing 
was  introduced,  and  the  demand  for  literature  on 
the  subject  increased.  To  meet  this  growing  need, 
the  company  began  the  publication  of  folk  dance 
and  game  books.  Miss  Caroline  Crawford  of  the 
Teachers'  College  (New  York)  was  asked  to  pre- 
pare a  work,  and  in  1908  her  "Folk  Dances  and 
Games,"  the  first  of  a  number  of  books  of  this 
character,  was  published.  This  was  quickly  fol- 
lowed by  "The  Folk  Dance  Book,"  by  Dr.  C. 

26 


THE  RETURN  TO  EDUCATIONAL  ACTIVITIES         27 

Ward  Crampton,  Physical  Director  in  the  Public 
Schools  of  New  York  City,  which  became  the 
leader  of  all  books  of  this  kind.  Seven  titles  in 
this  special  department  now  bear  the  imprint  of 
the  house,  and  special  mention  should  be  made  of 
"Graded  Games  and  Rhythmic  Exercises,"  by 
Miss  Marion  Bromley  Newton  of  Rochester,  and 
Miss  Ada  VanStone  Harris  of  Pittsburgh,  and 
"The  Festival  Book,"  by  Jeannette  E.  C.  Lincoln. 
Music  in  the  public  schools  is  a  strong  factor  in 
education,  and  to  this  phase  of  educational  publish- 
ing the  company  began  to  give  special  attention. 
In  1907  the  house  published  "The  Song  Primer," 
the  first  of  a  series  of  school  music  books,  edited 
by  Miss  Alys  E.  Bentley,  Director  of  Music  in  the 
Washington  (D.  C.)  schools.  "The  Song  Primer" 
was  the  first  illustrated  school  music  book  for  the 
little  folks,  and  met  with  an  enthusiastic  reception. 
It  was  followed  by  "Song  Series — Books  One  and 
Two,"  and  other  books  by  the  same  author.  In 
1907,  "The  Assembly  Song  Book,"  by  Dr.  Frank 
R.  Rix,  Director  of  Music  in  the  Public  Schools 
of  New  York  City,  appeared.  The  success  of  this 
book  was  immediate.  In  New  York  City  alone 
more  than  two  hundred  schools  are  using  it,  while 
hundreds  of  cities  and  towns  in  all  parts  of  the 
country  have  introduced  the  book  for  assembly  and 


98        SEVENTY-FIVE  YEARS  OF  BOOK  PUBLISHING 

sight  reading  purposes.  This  was  followed  by 
"Voice  Training"  and  "The  High  School  Assembly 
Song  Book"  by  the  same  author.  George  Oscar 
Bowen,  Supervisor  of  Music  in  Yonkers,  N.  Y., 
brought  to  the  house  his  "Graded  Melodies  for 
Individual  Sight  Singing."  These  were  published 
1911  in  eight  parts,  portfolio  form,  and  were  a 
success  from  the  start. 

Pedagogical  and  teachers'  books  have  always 
formed  a  large  part  of  the  company's  list,  and 
during  this  period  several  important  books  on  this 
subject  were  issued.  "Composition  in  the  Ele- 
mentary Schools"  and  "Class  Management,"  by 
Dr.  Joseph  S.  Taylor,  District  Superintendent  in 
New  York  City,  were  among  those  brought  out 
during  this  period.  "Grammar  and  Its  Reasons" 
(1907) ,  by  Mary  Hall  Leonard,  took  rank  with  the 
famous  "Grammar  of  Grammars,"  while  the  grow- 
ing need  for  material  on  the  subject  of  moral  edu- 
cation was  met  by  the  publication  of  "Systematic 
Moral  Education"  (1909),  by  John  King  Clark, 
Principal  of  Public  School  23  (Bronx),  New 
York,  who  successfully  worked  out  the  problem  in 
his  own  school. 

Space  does  not  permit  mention  of  the  many  new 
and  successful  books  being  published.  Among  the 
authors  not  previously  mentioned,  but  represented 


THE  RETURN  TO  EDUCATIONAL  ACTIVITIES         29 

on  the  list  of  books  published  by  the  company,  are 
Anne  L.  Jessup,  Director  of  Hand  Work,  New 
York  City,  Annie  M.  Logue  of  the  Washington 
Irving  High  School,  Agnes  M.  Dunne,  formerly 
Principal  of  Public  School  65,  New  York,  Sophie 
A.  Miller,  H.  A.  Guerber,  G.  Stanley  Hall, 
Ph.  D.,  Dr.  James  L.  Hughes  of  Toronto,  Tudor 
Jenks,  Virginia  W.  Johnson,  Edwin  Gordon  Law- 
rence, Col.  Francis  W.  Parker,  Effie  Seachrest, 
Levi  Seeley,  Ph.  D.,  Henry  A.  Stimson,  John  F. 
Woodhull. 

It  might  be  interesting  though  rather  tedious  to 
trace  in  detail  the  development  of  writing  instruc- 
tion in  the  schools  of  the  United  States.  It  is 
enough  for  the  present  purpose  to  recall  the  old 
method  of  having  the  writing  master  set  the  copies 
on  the  pupils'  paper,  using  a  quill  pen.  This  gave 
way  to  the  copybook  plan,  by  means  of  which  pupils 
attempted  to  duplicate  in  their  writing  books  the 
engraved  script  at  the  top  of  the  pages.  This  led 
to  a  very  slow,  laborious  style  of  writing.  A  few 
years  ago  a  wave  of  enthusiasm  for  vertical  writing 
passed  over  the  country,  but  this  did  not  change 
essentially  the  copybook  plan.  It  is  only  in  very 
recent  years  that  the  schools  have  come  to  consider 
the  problem  of  teaching  the  style  of  writing  really 
demanded  for  business  purposes. 


30        SEVENTY-FIVE  YEARS  OF  BOOK  PUBLISHING 

In  November,  1911,  the  company,  appreciating 
the  importance  of  a  thoroughly  graded,  pedagog- 
jcally  arranged  course  of  study  and  practice  in 
muscular  movement  writing,  brought  out  a  series 
of  books  entitled  "The  New  Barnes  Writing 
Books,"  by  C.  S.  and  A.  G.  Hammock.  This  series 
of  pupils'  text  books  on  writing,  accompanied  by  a 
Teachers'  Manual,  together  with  the  authors'  plan 
for  correcting  teachers'  papers  (thereby  giving 
instruction  by  correspondence),  have  already 
helped  materially  in  solving  the  problem  of  writing 
instructions  in  many  schools.  The  books  are  al- 
ready used  in  a  large  number  of  cities  and  towns 
and  additions  to  the  list  are  rapidly  being  made. 

In  December,  1909,  the  company  was  incorpo- 
rated under  the  laws  of  the  State  of  New  York  and 
the  following  officers  were  elected: — President, 
Henry  Burr  Barnes;  Vice-President  and  General 
Manager,  John  Barnes  Pratt;  Secretary  and 
Treasurer,  Samuel  Cole  Fairley.  Henry  B. 
Barnes,  Jr.,  and  Courtlandt  D.  Barnes  were  elected 
directors.  In  the  following  year  the  failing  health 
of  Mr.  Barnes  necessitated  his  retirement  from 
active  connection  with  the  company,  and  his  death 
occurred  January  12,  1911.  The  following  minute 
was  placed  upon  the  records  as  expressing  the  sense 
of  loss  felt  by  his  fellow  officers : 


THE  RETURN  TO  EDUCATiGtf  A*L-  A&TlVlf'lES'     :'3l 

"Resolved:  That  in  the  death  of  Henry  Burr  Barnes, 
The  A.  S.  Barnes  Company  has  lost  a  president  of  rare 
training  and  experience  in  the  field  of  publishing,  and 
a  kindly  and  far-seeing  counselor  in  all  its  business 
problems." 

Mr.  John  Barnes  Pratt  was  elected  President  to 
succeed  Mr.  Barnes.  The  present  management  is 
endeavoring  to  maintain  the  high  standards  of  in- 
tegrity and  dignity  which  have  characterized  the 
company  for  so  many  years  and  to  build  solidly  on 
the  foundations  so  intelligently  laid  seventy-five 
years  ago. 

Conservative  plans  for  the  publishing  of  new 
text  books  which  shall  meet  the  present  and  future 
needs  of  the  public  schools  are  under  way.  An- 
nouncements of  these  publications  will  be  made  in 
due  season.  In  the  years  to  come  it  shall  be  the 
endeavor  of  the  company  to  maintain  the  standard 
set  by  the  founder  of  the  house  and  to  justify  the 
splendid  reputation  which  he  and  his  sons  have 
built  up. 


RECORD  OF  HYMN   BOOKS 

1855  THE  PLYMOUTH  COLLECTION 

1862  SONGS  or  THE  CHURCH 

1865  SONGS  FOR  THE  SANCTUARY 

1869  HYMNS  OF  THE  CHURCH 

1871  THE  BAPTIST  PRAISE  BOOK 

1880  THE  EVANGELICAL  HYMNAL 

1880  WORSHIP  IN  SONG 

1881  PRECEPT  AND  PRAISE 

1886  CARMINA  SANCTORUM 

1887  HYMNS  AND  SONGS  OF  PRAISE 

1888  SONGS  OF  PRAISE 
1891  MANY  VOICES 

1894*  CARMINA  FOR  THE  SUNDAY  SCHOOL 

1905  THE  PLYMOUTH  HYMNAL 

1906  CHURCH  HYMNS  AND  TUNES 

1907  UNIVERSITY  HYMNS 

1907  HYMNS  AND  TUNES  FOR  SCHOOLS 

1910  HYMNS  OF  THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD 

1911  HYMNS  OF  THE  CENTURIES 

1912  HYMNS  OF  THE  CHURCH,  NEW  AND  OLD 

1913  THE    HYMNAL    OF    PRAISE — FOR    COLLEGES    AND 

UNIVERSITIES 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

'RY 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or 

on  the  date  to  which  renewed. 
Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


MAY  1  8  1372 

n  Ait/irc 

DAvIo 
tNTERLISRARY  I 

OAN 

MAY  n 

'    0 

LD  2]-40m-2,'69 
(J6057slO)476 — A-32 


General  Library 

University  of  California 

Berkeley 


Gaylord  Bros. 

Makers 

Syracuse,  N-  v 
PM.  JW,  21.  1908 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


